Tangipahoa Parish has released the 2025 schedule for its annual Christmas parades, giving families multiple opportunities to celebrate the season in communities across the parish. The festivities begin Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. with the Amite Christmas Parade, followed by a packed December lineup. Both Hammond and Kentwood will hold their parades on Dec. 6 at 6 p.m., while Independence and Loranger will roll on Dec. 7 at 5:30 p.m. Ponchatoula’s parade is set for Dec. 13 at 5 p.m., with Roseland following the same evening at 6 p.m. Tickfaw will host its parade on Dec. 14 at 5:30 p.m., and the parish season wraps up Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. with the Tangipahoa Christmas Parade. Parish officials encourage residents and visitors alike to enjoy the family-friendly holiday celebrations throughout the month.
–The St. Tammany Chamber is now accepting nominations for its 2025 Tammany Business of the Year and Community Leadership Awards, which honor businesses and individuals making significant, positive contributions to the parish. The Business of the Year Award recognizes a company that has shown strong leadership, growth, resilience, and community impact, while the Community Leadership Award highlights an individual whose service and accomplishments have helped improve quality of life through nonprofit, civic, or charitable work. (Government agencies, nonprofits, and 2025 board members are not eligible for either award.) Recipients will be honored at the 2026 Installation & Awards Luncheon on January 13 at The Greystone in Mandeville.
–Slidell Police say a tense situation ended safely Tuesday after officers took a suicidal and potentially homicidal individual into protective custody following a four-hour standoff. Earlier in the day, police received multiple calls about a man outside with a firearm threatening self-harm and harm to others before he barricaded himself inside his home and refused to come out. With assistance from the department’s SWAT team, drone unit, negotiators, and the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office, officers were ultimately able to take the man into custody without injuries to him or responding personnel.
–A 33-year-old man was arrested Sunday night after leading deputies on a multi-parish chase that began in Tangipahoa Parish and ended in East Feliciana. The suspect, Sidney Ricks, was wanted by the Franklinton Police Department on charges of attempted second-degree murder and second-degree rape involving the beating and rape of his child’s mother, who remains hospitalized in critical condition. Deputies first spotted Ricks under a bridge on Highway 440, prompting a pursuit that moved through Washington and St. Helena parishes before deputies briefly lost sight of him. St. Helena deputies later saw Ricks pass a gas station on Highway 16 and resumed the chase into East Feliciana, where a PIT maneuver on LA 10 caused Ricks’ vehicle to overturn, leading to a collision involving two sheriff’s units. Ricks was taken to a hospital for evaluation before being booked into the East Feliciana Parish Jail as a fugitive for Franklinton Police; no deputies were injured.
–Ponchatoula Mayor Wesley Daniels welcomed the community to the city’s annual Christmas Lighting Ceremony in a holiday message highlighting the event’s traditions and local support. He praised the Strawberry Festival Board and LouAnn LeBlanc for sponsoring the Christmas tree at the train pavilion and thanked the speakers who will offer prayers, stories, music, and seasonal messages. Daniels said the celebration is an opportunity for families, neighbors, and businesses to come together, enjoy downtown shops and restaurants, and create lasting holiday memories. He invited residents to join the city on Friday, Dec. 5, at 6 p.m. as Ponchatoula officially lights its Christmas tree and celebrates the unity and spirit that make the community special.
–The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office is warning parents after LPSO Narcotics deputies identified “green fentanyl,” also known as “Kryptonite,” circulating in the parish. The substance is bright green and may appear in forms resembling sidewalk chalk, a gel or tar-like material, or a gravel-like powder. According to new DEA lab results, the drug is often para-fluorofentanyl, a synthetic opioid potentially even more potent than standard fentanyl. Officials emphasize that fentanyl is already 50 times stronger than heroin and that as little as 2 milligrams—about two grains of salt—can be fatal. The Sheriff’s Office says the drug’s appearance makes it easy to mistake for cannabis, candy, or other less potent substances, urging parents to speak with their children about the danger.
–Kristen Williams of First Guaranty Bank recently presented a sponsorship donation to Louisiana Children’s Discovery Center board members in support of this year’s Teddy Bear Tea, set for Sunday, December 7, at 11 a.m. at The Berry Barn in Amite. The annual event features a traditional high tea for adults and children, visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and professional photos, with each child receiving a commemorative teddy bear as a keepsake. Reservations are required, and additional event details and ticket information are available through the Discovery Center.
–The Independence Fire Department announced an aggravated arson arrest following a Nov. 15 residential fire that destroyed a home on Mashon Road. Crews responded around 6 a.m. to find the structure fully engulfed, and while firefighters contained the blaze, the house was declared a total loss with no injuries reported. Investigators later determined the fire had been intentionally set, leading to the Nov. 24 arrest of 28-year-old Ebony Harrison, who was booked into the Tangipahoa Parish Jail on an aggravated arson charge. Fire Prevention Chief Brian Mashon is asking anyone with information about the case to contact his office, and the department thanked the Amite Fire Prevention Bureau and local police agencies for their assistance in the investigation.
–New Orleans EMS will host a community blood drive with The Blood Center from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25, to help boost donations during a period when blood supplies typically decline. The effort comes four years after NOEMS became the first ground ambulance service in Louisiana to administer pre-hospital blood transfusions, a lifesaving practice crews have now performed nearly 400 times. Officials say early transfusions can stabilize patients suffering major trauma or medical emergencies and improve survival rates, underscoring the need for donated blood—especially Type O, which is critical when a patient’s blood type is unknown. The Blood Center, which supplies more than 50 hospitals across South Louisiana and Southern Mississippi, must collect up to 250 units daily and is urging the public to help meet that need.
